


Voltfruit

by rynling



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Postgame Speculation, Zelda & Riju Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 04:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16442975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynling/pseuds/rynling
Summary: Zelda and Riju share a short conversation about the weight of traditions and expectations.





	Voltfruit

“I remember sleeping here in the open air, with nothing but a drape of canvas above me,” Zelda said, holding a small voltfruit cupped in her hands as she sat with her back to one of the palms surrounding the oasis. 

Riju sat beside Zelda, her bare feet dangling in the water. She watched as Zelda traced the sharp edges of the fleshy leaves of the fruit with the pad of her thumb. It was pleasant to linger here and watch the sun set over the western dunes while listening to the odd cadence of Zelda’s voice. She peeled the leaves and skin away from her own voltfruit with a small jeweled knife that had been given to her by her mother. 

“Urbosa and my mother were always off somewhere, and they often left me on my own,” Zelda continued. “I enjoyed my time in the palace, but I really wanted to see the city. I wasn’t supervised closely, so I just sort of… left. Now that I think back on it, the city guards were almost certainly keeping an eye on me, but at the time I felt like I could go anywhere.”

Riju nodded as she bit into a slice she’d cut for herself. She considered asking Zelda if she’d like help peeling the voltfruit she still held untouched, but then she thought better of it. She remembered what Link had told her about Zelda being confined to Hyrule Castle when she was younger, and it would be awkward to interrupt her at this point in her story; she might take Riju’s offer of assistance the wrong way. 

“I once ended up wandering all the way out to the market at the entrance to the city,” Zelda said as she toyed with one of the voltfruit’s leaves, slowly peeling it back. “I think the novelty of the experience must have been so exhilarating that I wanted to buy everything I saw. But I didn’t have any money. Why would I? I had no use for it; that sort of thing was always taken care of for me.”

Riju nodded, completely understanding Zelda’s predicament. She swallowed another mouthful of fruit and asked, “So what did you do?” 

A shy smile spread across Zelda’s face. “I found a few rupees in some pots by the communal cooking fires. They were old and scratched and had lost their luster, but I still managed to collect enough to buy something at a nearby stall. I had my choice of rock salt or rushrooms or voltfruit, and I chose the voltfruit because it was the most exotic. The stall owner had to peel it for me, but I was excited to taste it for myself. It was so pink and juicy, and it was the first thing I bought with my own money. It would taste like freedom, I thought… and I hated it!”

Riju started laughing, softly at first, but then with more gusto as Zelda joined her. 

“I don’t care for voltfruit myself,” Riju admitted, “but everyone is convinced I’m going to inherit Lady Urbosa’s magic, so I’ve always been encouraged to eat them. To build stamina, and so on. But they’re too acidic! Tradition is wonderful, but I wish it could be a little sweeter. Now that I’m of age, I think I might make my own traditions from now on, and I might just start with hydromelons. They’re my favorite, you know.”

Having made this declaration, Riju tossed her unfinished voltfruit into the oasis, where it hit the water with a small splash before instantly being surrounded by fish. 

“That’s a marvelous idea,” Zelda replied. “Here’s to making our own traditions!” She started to throw her own voltfruit, but she pulled her arm back at the last moment. 

“It’s okay,” Riju assured her. “You’re not a princess anymore. No one is going to tell you what you can or can’t do. Just go for it!” 

Zelda grinned and tossed her voltfruit into the air. It sent up a spray of water when it landed, and the ripples that spread across the oasis shone golden in the light of the setting sun.


End file.
